TRAVEL THE WORLD - ABU SIMBEL, EGYPT

The smaller of the two temples at Abu Simbel, photographed in 2004, was built by Ramesses II to honor both Hathor as the goddess of love and music and his wife Nefertari as the deified queen.

TRAVEL THE WORLD, ABU SIMBEL, EGYPT

Inside the Great Temple at Abu Simbel are eight Osiris temples two of which were photographed in 2004.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ABU SIMBEL, EGYPT

One of the highlights of our 2004 Egypt vacation was Abu Simbel, the location of the temples of Ramses II and his wife Nefertari. These were carved out of solid rock between 1279 and 1213 B.C. In the photos are a painting and a rock carving from the Ramses II temple (i.e., the Great Temple).

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ABU SIMBEL, EGYPT

The photo, taken in 2004 at Abu Simbel, is an example of the beauty we saw in Egypt that was such a pleasant surprise. This is also where UNESCO, in 1960, coordinated an international effort to move an entire temple complex to protect it from the rising waters of the Nile following the construction of the Aswan high dam.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ABU SIMBEL, EGYPT

The great temple of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel was one of the many amazing and impressive things we saw in Egypt in 2004. Two huge temples were cut out of the sandstone cliff in the 13th Century BC during the reign of Ramsses II as a demonstration of his power and divine nature. The statues in the photo stand 20 meters in height. Equally impressive is what was achieved during the 1960's. UNESCO mounted an international effort in which the entire temple complex was moved to higher ground in order to escape the rising waters of the Nile following the construction of the Aswan high dam.